I came across this photograph from the archive of The Byre Theatre at a very early stage of this project. It feels like a key image, a seminal image, from which a lot of the project will grow. It was on a site announcing that the archive of photographs would be digitised during the pandemic and now the website of the theatre announces that this work has been done. So in a sense this photograph looks to the future and is from the past.

It is of a store room where things are kept. Perhaps a props storeroom of objects used in theatre productions.

The photograph is faded, the colours muted, the image not entirely sharp. I’m going to list everything that I can make out. You may see other things that I don’t spot or disagree with how I identify them.

Two ceramic plinths or pot stands. One approximately twice the size of the other. The larger of the two is brown and the smaller blueish-green. The larger, brown one has a round base and the smaller, blue one square. I notice that the brown one is slightly chipped around the circumference of the base where it meets the floor so that the white clay is showing through. They would have been useful as plant stands, for aspidistras, in a scene set in a country house. Perhaps an actor accidentally kicked the larger plinth as he or she made a hasty exit stage-right. Evidence of dust collected on their surfaces, could do with a good clean.

A wooden chair, in good condition. Turned, spindle legs. Light oak? This kind of chair most likely has a name as it’s a generic kind, recognisable, familiar. The sheen on its surface, catching the light means that it looks fresh, polished, in use. Did somebody sit on it, in that room, to eat their lunch, away from everybody, in peace?

A crate of bottles adjacent to the chair, brown ale bottles, hard to tell if empty or filled. One, a large one in the centre has a clip-top. Dusty, five in total (visible).

A four-drawer, grey, free-standing metal filing cabinet half in frame on the left of the image. Contents?

A wooden crate, just in frame, in front of the filing cabinet, tops of two uncorked sparkling wine bottles just showing. Capital letters P, then beneath, V E C O stamped on front of crate just visible.

Above the plinths, an object wrapped in brown paper, shape of a plant in a pot or inverted, narrow trapezoid shape. One of its top corners tied around with string, hanging from a wooden beam.

Hanging next to the object wrapped in paper, to its right, also from the same beam, an amount of jute fishing net. Or skein of fine rope neatly gathered or collected together.

Moving left from the paper-wrapped object, three old-fashioned fabric-covered lamp-shades. The two outer ones, approximately the same size, both reddish tones, the central one, larger, gold or beige-coloured. The reddish-pink ones, circular. All three fringed. The central lampshade eight-sided, octagonal, having a curved lower edge to each section. This central one has a shorter fringe than the ones to either side, despite the shade overall being bigger. The internal structures, with central ring which supports the shade on the lamp-stand, visible through the top opening of them. The shade to the left is visible full-on, flattening it, making it resemble a sanding disc, were it not for the just-visible gathers in its red fabric.

Two-thirds obscured by the central gold lampshade and also suspended from the beam is a large, curved, copper kettle, the kind to stand on a range. Front side catching the light, appearing dusty on its top surface. Attractive, old-fashioned.

Moving up from the beam several objects hanging from a higher beam: a white, wire object of indeterminate nature, the skeleton of some kind of sconce, or light-fitting?

Coming forward from that, a white enamelled, tin coffee pot with lid and handle just visible.

In front of this kettle, some red fringing.

A hanging small, metal object: a mouse-trap?

Then a grey, metal kettle, faceted sides, spout and lid not in view.

Hanging from this second beam, above the paper trapezoid, a wicker basket, upright, with string or fringing dangling from its top edge.

Three metal rods of indeterminate function, one tubular, one flattened metal. These may be historic, agricultural items.

Beneath the brown-paper item a carriage clock can be seen standing on a blue cloth on a sill. It has a wooden case and a round face. The time, which I assume to be fixed, is five to eight. The face has a keyhole for a wind-up key and the quarter sections are marked in roman numerals. There is some kind of oval plaque beneath the face, perhaps an engraved metal plate. The edges of the clock housing and the space beneath the face are outlined in inlaid lighter-stained wood.

An indecipherable rectangular object stands between the clock and the window and behind that more brown paper or perhaps a curtain.

To the left of these a round stained glass pane involving orange floral motifs standing upright leaning against a roll of gold foil or paper.
I feel particularly excited by this object. Why? Perhaps because it is so immediately recognisable? But then so are clock, kettle, crate?

In front of this circular pane the hilts of some makeshift wooden swords, whose blades reach down to the ground behind the blue-green plinth.

Behind the taller of the two plinths I made out most of another copper kettle, less archetypal in form, atop a copper boiler.

Behind the chair a plastic foot-pedal bin, the lid upended.

Jumping around the image now.

To the right of the brown plinth, the tall one, and slightly behind it, an object viewable from one side. It has a curved top and appears to be inside a cloth cover with a banded stripe of fabric over its top.

This stands on top of a wooden, open-slatted crate, on its end, with the lettering HARRODS Ltd. _ KNIGHTSBRIDGE clearly legible stamped on the visible side.

Between the plastic bin behind the chair some foldable wooden objects resting against the rough stone wall:

A card table?

A double deck chair with pale blue canvas? Rust marks bleeding into the pale blue canvas surround where tacks have joined the fabric to the wood.

Some kind of trestle?

Above these a small wooden shelf.

On the shelf:

A woven balsa wood basket with squared off metal handle – perhaps an Easter basket? Inside this, one or more white eggs.

An oval wooden board, bread-board, slipped down between the back of the shelf and the wall.

Some dark wooden things to the right of this basket: a butter dish with knobbed lid, or a desk ink blotter perhaps?

To the left of the basket an upright white object, suggesting a metronome or similar.

On top of the filing cabinet next to this a dark wooden box containing various miscellaneous indeterminate objects, a folded cloth, a small lamp? Something white.

I write in my notebook:

 

Stock-take

Listing every item meticulously

 

Stock-make

Condense items into a compressed form
as inventory